"One remarkable aspect of visual recognition is that humans are able to recognize the meaning (or "gist", for a review,//Oliva, 2005//) of complex visual scenes within 1/20 of a second, independently of the quantity of objects in the image." -Computational Visual Cognition Laboratory at MIT Why use visuals to support learning in education?
WestEd has a great rationale online as well as resources, in Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners What visual media can I use in the classroom?
Images you or your students take/create with your own equipment (if publishing, have a media release)
Images available to you to use by permission of the owner
Images available through a Creative Commons license
Students and educators should not simply "grab" images from Google; locating and using appropriate sources and the ethical use of media should be modeled!
Locating photographs and visuals for educational use
flickr Search for Creative Commons licensed products
Enter a term in the flickr search box, click search, then click on the "Advanced Search" link, scroll and select "Only search within Creative Commons-licensed content"
Google Images - Search for images "labeled for reuse"
Enter a term in the google search box, then click on the "Advanced Search" link, look for the drop down field for "Usage Rights" and select "Labeled for reuse"; click the Google Search button to complete your search
Stock.xchnghas both free and for-purchase images. Registration is required. Note the terms of use of each item. Individuals may upload content to the site and add terms.
stockvault - free stock photos and images for personal, educational and non-commercial use
WorldImages - over 80,000 images free for non-profit educational use
Whenever an image is going to be used, even when licensed under a Creative Commons license or an image available for educational use, credit should be given to the original owner.
Consideration: How are you saving the URL so you may give appropriate credit? Suggestion - after saving the image to your computer, right click on the image, go to Properties, Summary, and save the Image Title, Creator, URL, etc.
Web-based Image editors - in addition to editing, note the special effects!
befunky has basic editing and photo effects, text, speech bubbles, etc.
Picasa is a google product that makes organizing, editing, and sharing your photos easy.
Copyright Creative Commons - read more about the licensing that allows content owners to make their work available on the internet. Works can be licensed for commercial and non commercial purposes.
What presence do you have for your class? Your program? Your school? Some schools provide teachers a website for their class; others do not. Some teachers look for a website that is easy to update and share information with parents; others are seeking a place where students can create an electronic portfolio and share their work with others.
Here are some authoring environments that may be of interest to you 1. Weebly Weebly is a very easy-to-use website authoring environment. The interface uses drag and drop to place elements on the page. A free service and no ads added, you can have a website live and with content within 5 minutes! Weebly has a premium service as well, but most users find the basic service quite adequate for their needs. Weebly for education - http://education.weebly.com
Watch this 8 minute weebly tutorial created by Macomb ISD's Frank Miracola (☨) to get started!
Wikispaces can be for the teacher and/or students - each student could have his or her own page or wiki to edit. Wikis for K-12 use do not have advertising. Wikispaces provides some excellent video tutorials.
Check this wiki of educational wikis.
3. Perhaps you are interested in a blog? Then Edublogs, Blogger, or WordPress may be for you. Check with your school district to see if any of these blogging platforms are currently blocked. Your ISD may provide a blog platform; and your district's website may have blogging available to you. And - weebly (above) has a blog feature!
4. Looking for a learning platform to put materials online for an online course or a blended course? Consider Moodle - every school district in Ingham County has access to Moodle. Take one of the half or full day getting started sessions. Evaluation
Face of Your Classroom, Copyright and Creative Commons, Digital Images
"One remarkable aspect of visual recognition is that humans are able to recognize the meaning (or "gist", for a review, //Oliva, 2005//) of complex visual scenes within 1/20 of a second, independently of the quantity of objects in the image."
-Computational Visual Cognition Laboratory at MIT
Why use visuals to support learning in education?
WestEd has a great rationale online as well as resources, in Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners
What visual media can I use in the classroom?
Students and educators should not simply "grab" images from Google; locating and using appropriate sources and the ethical use of media should be modeled!
Locating photographs and visuals for educational use
Whenever an image is going to be used, even when licensed under a Creative Commons license or an image available for educational use, credit should be given to the original owner.
Clipart Sources
Consideration: How are you saving the URL so you may give appropriate credit? Suggestion - after saving the image to your computer, right click on the image, go to Properties, Summary, and save the Image Title, Creator, URL, etc.
Web-based Image editors - in addition to editing, note the special effects!
Downloadable photo editor
Copyright
Creative Commons - read more about the licensing that allows content owners to make their work available on the internet. Works can be licensed for commercial and non commercial purposes.
Cyberbee is an interactive website with simple questions and answers.
Technology & Learning Magazine has a great article about copyright and a handy chart (PDF).
The U.S. Copyright office has a quick reference on fair use as well as an In depth publication, Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians (PDF)
Copyright, Cybercourtesy, & Cybersafety in a Creative Commons Age is a terrific wikipage with more thoughts and considerations and can be a rich discussion launching pad. (created by Cherice Montgomery,chericem1)
Face of your Classroom
What presence do you have for your class? Your program? Your school? Some schools provide teachers a website for their class; others do not. Some teachers look for a website that is easy to update and share information with parents; others are seeking a place where students can create an electronic portfolio and share their work with others.Here are some authoring environments that may be of interest to you
1. Weebly
Weebly is a very easy-to-use website authoring environment. The interface uses drag and drop to place elements on the page. A free service and no ads added, you can have a website live and with content within 5 minutes! Weebly has a premium service as well, but most users find the basic service quite adequate for their needs. Weebly for education - http://education.weebly.com
Watch this 8 minute weebly tutorial created by Macomb ISD's Frank Miracola (☨) to get started!
Would you like step-by-step directions? Check out this web-based weebly tutorial, made in weebly.
Thinking of having students create a weebly? Coleshill Media Site has a great Weebly Warranty for parents to sign
Examples:
a. 21 Things for 21st Century Educators
b. Bellport Middle School Social Studies Department
c. Miss Jung's 5th Grade Class
d. Ventura High School Library
e. West Briar Middle School 6th Grade Science
Alternative: Want more advanced functionality and control of authoring space? Consider Google Sites.
2. Wikispaces
Wikispaces can be for the teacher and/or students - each student could have his or her own page or wiki to edit. Wikis for K-12 use do not have advertising. Wikispaces provides some excellent video tutorials.
Check this wiki of educational wikis.
Examples:
a. Toni Theisen is an educator from Colorado who uses wikis extensively - notice her "class" and "professional" wikis
b. Nadine Jacobsen's Elementary School Spanish Wiki
c. Flat Classroom Project has international global projects
d. Ah-Bon French middle school wiki
e. Educational Wikis provides a rationale and examples for K-12
f. TeachWeb20 is an interesting collaborative wiki evaluating Web 2.0 tools
g. La Réole, France and Loveland, Colorado collaborative wiki
h. ISTE has a NETS Implementation site
i. Educational Wikis provides a rationale and examples for K-12
j. 8th Grade Advanced Science Research and here is a blog post describing the project as it was implemented.
3. Perhaps you are interested in a blog? Then Edublogs, Blogger, or WordPress may be for you. Check with your school district to see if any of these blogging platforms are currently blocked. Your ISD may provide a blog platform; and your district's website may have blogging available to you. And - weebly (above) has a blog feature!
Examples:
a. Community of Learners- notice links to student blogs on the right
b. Tamara Tendrop - high school Spanish I blog - student entries on right
c. The World A.T. Ways blog highlights tech and world languages
d. Practical Theory- a high school principal's blog
e. Kinderkids Classroom is a kindergarten blog in a New Hampshire school
f. Byrdseed Gifted - ideas for the gifted classroom
g. Langwitches Blog
h. Multilingual Mania
i. Sarah Puglisi - elementary immersion teacher
j. Adventures in Pencil Integration is a humorous look at the integration of technology in education
k. Vi Hart - a mathemusician's blog
l. Links to School Bloggers is an extensive collection of links of blogs related to education
4. Looking for a learning platform to put materials online for an online course or a blended course? Consider Moodle - every school district in Ingham County has access to Moodle. Take one of the half or full day getting started sessions.
Evaluation